The present invention relates to a new and distinct variety of Peach Tree denominated varietally as "Early Elegant Lady" and more particularly to such a peach tree which bears a freestone fruit which has a firm, crisp yellow-colored flesh texture at commercial maturity and which is principally characterized as to novelty by a date of ripening of approximately June 22 through July 1 at Reedley, Calif.
Fruit growers have readily recognized for a long period of time that the relative dates that various varieties of peaches become ripe for harvesting is of extreme importance. In particular, it has long been recognized as desirable to provide a peach tree that bears fruit during a portion of the season earlier than other varieties of peach trees, which it most nearly resembles, whereby the fruit produced by such a novel tree can be sent to market at a time when competition is at a minimum and the best price can be negotiated. Further, large scale agriculture has long understood that additional economic benefits can be attained if the harvesting period of a particular orchard is spread over a longer period of time inasmuch as the capitol expenditures required to harvest and transport produce from the orchard can be spread over an extended period of time resulting in an overall lower cost of the final product and increasing the uniformity of production throughout the entire season.
The new and distinct variety of peach tree is characterized as to novelty by producing fruit which are surprisingly similar in their physical characteristics to the Elegant Lady Peach Tree (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 4,399) but which is distinguished therefrom by producing fruit which are mature for harvesting and shipment approximately one week earlier than the Elegant Lady Peach Tree in the San Joaquin Valley of central California.